6 Tips for a Healthier Halloween
6 Tips for a Healthier Halloween
There’s no doubt that Halloween is a time for spooky stories and sweets, but, with a little ingenuity, you can make Halloween a little healthier this year. If your kids always return from trick or treating expeditions with enough candy to feed an army, you’ll want to do everything you can to stop them from demolishing it in one sitting! To get a head-start, take a look at these top tips for a healthier Halloween:
Eat dinner
If your kids are going trick or treating, make sure they’ve had dinner before they head out. If they’re hungry when they’re collecting candy, you can be sure that half their stash will be gone before they get back. By filling up on a healthy meal beforehand, you can keep the on-the-go snacking to a minimum.
Host a Halloween party
If sweets from trick and treating are a trigger point for unhealthy eating, why not switch things up and host a Halloween party instead? Don your best Halloween t shirt or go all out and hire a costume to dress up in. Your kids can have fun with their friends, and you can save the treats for game prizes and giveaway bags.
Use fun-size treats
If you’re happy to give out candy to trick and treaters on Halloween, opt for fun-size treats instead of full-size versions. Most stores stock pre-packed mini versions of their best snacks around this time of year, so it’s easy to find mini treat bags and fun-size candy. As well as being a healthier option, it means you can stock up on Halloween candy without blowing your budget too!
Give alternatives to sweets
If you’re not keen to give kids standard candy this Halloween, there are plenty of tasty alternatives. Juice boxes, dried fruit, cinnamon sticks, and graham crackers are all popular options, as are granola bars and animal crackers. Take a look around the store next time you head out for groceries and you’ll be surprised at how many healthy options you can adapt for trick and treating.
Mix it up
Although kids do tend to enjoy healthier snacks when they’re eating them, you may not gain much street cred if you’re known as the house that gives out fruit on Halloween. If you want to partake in the tradition without loading kids up on sugar, mix things up and offer trick and treaters one piece of candy and one healthier alternative!
Ration the stash of candy
If your kids come home from trick and treating laden with candy, be sure to put some away for the rest of the week. Talk to your kids in advance, so they know they won’t be able to eat everything in one go. Then, let them choose a few pieces to enjoy on the night and save the rest.
Make the Most of Halloween
No matter how hard you try, Halloween is never going to be the healthiest time of year. With small changes to your routine, however, you can make it healthier. Providing your kids are healthy and eat a balanced diet at other times, a few pieces of Halloween candy shouldn’t have a dramatic impact on their health. Of course, the sugar rush might mean they’re more energetic than usual!
